Louise Farrenc's Cello Sonata in B flat Major dates from 1859. It was one of her last compositions. The treatment of the two instruments, especially the piano with its extensive use of tremolo, broken octaves and scale passages indicates that she had taken Beethoven's cello sonatas as her model. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, glides along effortlessly. A lovely Andante sostenuto, full of ornamentation serves as the middle movement. The finale is a lively Allegro.

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) enjoyed a considerable reputation during her own lifetime as both a performer and a teacher. As a young girl, Farrenc, a piano prodigy, was fortunate in studying piano with such great masters as Ignaz Moscheles and Johann Nepomuk Hummel and composition later with Anton Reicha at the Paris Conservatory. After completing her studies, Farrenc embarked on a concert career and gained considerable fame as a performer. By the early 1840’s, her reputation was such that in 1842 she was appointed to the permanent position of Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory.

The sonata, once quite popular, fell from the repertoire and has been out of print for many years. We have reprinted the one and only edition and are pleased to make it available again.

sonata, sonate, suonato—a complicated term. Originally, "sounded" rather than "sung" (sonar vs. cantar), e.g. instrumental music. According to historical period, sonata began to imply a formal plan of movements as well as the structure within a single movement, e.g. sonata form. In general usage as a work title, it designates a multi-movement piece for solo or duo instruments with one of the instruments enjoying a feature role.